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March 6, 2014

The marketplace for entrepreneurs making 3-D printed consumer goods just got a whole lot bigger.

Seattle-based e-commerce giant Amazon has launched a pilot program selling 3-D printed consumer goods. That’s great news for businesses in the space, but it’s also helpful for the fashion-forward crowd. You can pick up things like an iPhone case, a belt buckle, or a bracelet on the platform.

The Amazon.com platform for 3-D printed goods is “appealing to independent designers who’ve told us they want access to a large consumer market,” Colin Klayer of 3-D printing service 3DLT said in a statement.

3DLT is one of the companies invited by Amazon to participate in its pilot program. Founded in 2012, it's a marketplace for designers to sell blueprints for 3-D printed goods and connect with larger 3-D printing shops. It's also a place for consumers to buy designs and 3-D printed objects.

While the consumer-goods pilot program is another step for Amazon into the 3-D printing world, it’s not its first. In June of 2013, Amazon started selling 3-D printers and related supplies.

“When it was announced that Amazon would begin selling 3-D printers and supplies last summer, the industry heralded it as a defining moment, a clear indication that 3-D printing was going mainstream,” said John Hauer, CEO of 3DLT, in a statement. “We think the decision to sell 3-D printed products sends an even bigger message. Consumer products are the next frontier.”

3DLT said it was told by Amazon that five or six other companies would be participating in the program. Amazon did not immediately respond to a request for comment.